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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Government entities are some of the largest employers in nearly every county in Florida, according to a new analysis released today by Florida TaxWatch, the nonpartisan, nonprofit research institution headquartered in Tallahassee.

The Briefing surveys the significance of public-sector employment in Florida counties by examining the ten largest employers per county, and finds that public employers are the top employer (by number of employees) in 51 of the 67 counties in Florida, and one of the top five employers in every single county in the state. Additionally, the analysis finds that 57 counties have at least 3 public entities in the top ten, and five counties have at least six public entities in their top ten.

“This analysis shows that public entities are a major employer in nearly every county in Florida,” said Dominic M. Calabro, President & CEO of Florida TaxWatch. “Often, we think of counties with large public institutions—such as prisons, military bases, and universities—as the main government-supported parts of the state, but as this research shows, a significant amount of the public entities in the list of top ten employers are local government entities that touch Floridians each and every day.”

The Briefing includes a county-by-county breakdown of public employers, ranked by number of employees, and an additional graphic showing statewide views of the results, and can be found here.